Who Says He Doesn't Know What He's Talking About

I just wanted to share some of the words of our esteemed Vice President. I don'’t think much of what the Vice President has to say but I certainly concur with Lawrence Wilkerson in the last quote of this post. Enjoy.

The Sergeant Major

"I had other priorities in the 60's than military service"
--Dick Cheney

"This is very good indeed...Encouraging...Not like the crap we are all so used to getting out of CIA."
-- Dick Cheney, writing in the margins of a secret-unit intel report detailing purported evidence of links between Al Qaeda and Iraq

"In my capacity as vice president, I am the president of Senate, the presiding officer. I'm up in the Senate most Tuesdays when they're in session. The first time I ever met you [John Edwards] was when you walked on the stage tonight."
--Dick Cheney, Vice Presidential Debate, 2004

"We will, in fact, be greeted as liberators."
--Dick Cheney. Prior to the U.S.Invasion of Iraq

"There comes a time when deceit and defiance must be seen for what they are. At that point, a gathering danger must be directly confronted. At that point, we must show that beyond our resolutions is actual resolve."
--Dick Cheney

"Let us rid ourselves of the fiction that low oil prices are somehow good for the United States
--Dick Cheney

"Otherwise I have to declare him a moron, an idiot or a nefarious bastard."
--Former Powell chief of staff Lawrence Wilkerson, on why Di ck Cheney must have sincerely believed that Iraq could be a spawning ground for new terror assaults

Do You Really Want A Theocracy

In a conversation I had recently we were discussing world religions and the conversation came to Evangelical Christianity in the United States and its influences on American politics. This subject is of great interest to me because I believe that the Evangelical influence is taking our nation to a place never intended by our founding fathers. In the first paragraph of the Declaration of Independence Jefferson wrote "When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. ".⁽¹⁾ This is a remarkable paragraph for several reasons. First I believe it is remarkable because I believe Jefferson understood the incredible importance of these first words and he used the term " Laws of Nature and of Nature's God" because he was purposely being as inclusive of all the faiths and religions of the nation and the world as possible. Jefferson and the founding fathers were acutely aware that one of the central reasons that our ancestors came to the colonies was the pursuit of "Religious Freedom" and by using the term "Laws of Nature and of Nature's God" Jefferson, and by default all the signatories of the Declaration were striving not just to declare independence but to further bind and unite the nation with the most inclusive language possible. They were acutely aware of the necessity that the nation remain united no matter the situation or circumstance for time immemorial and by use of this simple phrase they were embracing every conceivable faith and religion. The other very notable term that Jefferson used in this first paragraph was "opinions of mankind". I believe Jefferson understood and was thinking of the need for the actions of the founding fathers to be 'universally' accepted throughout the world. I also believe that Jefferson and the founding fathers understood that for this to happen they had to insure that from the very beginning it was clear that they were being all inclusive and completely just in each and every action. Hence the use of the term "opinions of mankind" demonstrated that they were concerned with what the rest of the world saw and heard.

I believe that the language used by the founding fathers was clearly meant to be all inclusive and therefore make our nation's government a secular one. When one reads the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States it is hardly possible to think otherwise. Certainly they understood that our nation's sense of justice, right, wrong, and morality was influenced by religion but I don't believe our forefathers ever intended that we should base our laws directly on any specific set of religious tenets or beliefs. I would put to you that their intent was quite the contrary and that they intended that our nation's laws be sectarian and based on simple justice and fair play and with as little intrusion on our daily lives possible. It is because of this incredible inclusive language and desire for justice demonstrated by the founding fathers in drafting these documents that I believe that the Evangelical Christian influence placed on our government today is taking our nation down the wrong path.

In the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence Jefferson wrote, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…." To me it is clear by this writing that in the eyes of the founding fathers the purpose of government is to secure the rights of all men (all genders) to Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness and not to secure a specific religious doctrine.

It has been my observations that certain elements, Neo-Conservatives, within the Republican Party have been greatly influenced by and have simultaneously used members of the evangelical community such as the Falwells, Dobson's, Reeds and others to assume power and by default take our government toward becoming a theocracy. I realize that these are strong accusations but I cannot help but believe what is so obvious. I have used the terms 'used' and 'influenced by' in describing the relationship between certain elements within the Republican Party and members of the evangelical community. I do this because I see two dynamics occurring. First I believe that certain very powerful and influential members of the evangelical community, once again the Falwells, Dobson's, and Reeds have an overpowering desire to have a theocratic Christian government and I believe that they want this with a fervent if not maniacal desire. I believe that they have seen and see an opportunity to do this through a Republican Party controlled by neocons who owe their allegiance to them. Secondly I believe that certain elements of the Republican Party, neocons, saw and still see this desire as a weakness to be exploited and used to achieve the power they desire and they have done just that. The neocons have artfully used wedge issues such as gay rights and abortion to divide the nation while simultaneously motivating the Evangelical Christian and Christian base. They have done this uniformly throughout the conservative (red) States and with huge success. They have gained the Presidency as well as a majority in the House and Senate and are not only implementing their radical conservative agenda but simultaneously implementing the Evangelical Christian agenda of creating a theocratic government by installing ultraconservative activist judges on the federal bench and attempting to pass laws that codify theocratic beliefs such as banning a woman’s right to make decisions about her body and gay marriage. These actions in reality have nothing to do with fulfilling the role of government as envisioned by the founding fathers in protecting the rights of citizens to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness and everything to do with legislating morality. Just as I do not believe it is a government's responsibility to secure a religious doctrine I also do not believe that it is a government's responsibility to legislate morality. Yet that is what we see happening each and every day under the governance of this neo-conservative administration, Congress, and Senate.

⁽¹⁾ Emphasis mine.

Those are the Sergeant Majors Thoughts on That.

A Change Is Coming

Those of you who have been reading my blog will be seeing a change in the next few days. I intend to take a new approach to my news commentary. Please check back in a few day.
The Sergeant Major

I Never Said That Or Where's My Leader

I have been away this week and I have had some interesting conversations. I must tell you that there seems to be an over riding theme in my conversations as well as a few recurring questions. There is one recurring question that I particularly want to share with you because it is at the core of my blog and my purpose in writing this blog. I am often asked why I am so passionate with regards to the President, Vice President and the neocon leadership in the Senate and Congress. Well I can sum my answer up in a very few words. In fact I can sum it up with just two words. Honesty and Integrity. The simple truth is that the President, Vice President and the neocon leadership in the Senate and Congress posses neither of these qualities. As one example this past Wednesday evening on the Keith Olbermann show Countdown Keith aired two clips of Vice President Cheney giving two speeches that he gave within a few days of one another. These clips showed the Vice President saying one thing in the first speech and the exact opposite in the second speech. The sad reality is that the Vice President, like the President does this very, very frequently. It’s not just that they twist the facts to fit their situation or desires but that they simply lie. Please understand that I am not just talking about misspeaking. I am talking about lying. Telling falsehoods. Speaking untruths and doing it blatantly and openly. In my earlier post I promised to give you and example of one of their lies. Okay here goes. Below are two quotes by Vice President Cheney with regards to an Iraq and Al Qaeda connection and in particularly the infamous (and it never happened) meeting between Mohammed Atta and an Iraqi intelligence officer. The first quote is during an interview with Tim Russert on December 9, 2001 on Meet the Press and the second interview is 3 days after the 9/11 Commission released a statement saying there was no such meeting or connection during an interview with Gloria Borger on Capital Report.

MEET THE PRESS

RUSSERT: A couple of articles have appeared which I want to get you to react to. The first. “The Czech interior minister said today that an Iraqi intelligence officer met with Mohammed Atta, one of the ringleaders of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, just five months before the synchronized hijackings and mass killings were carried out”….

CHENEY: Well, what we now have that’s developed since you and I last talked, Tim, of course, was that—it’s been pretty well confirmed that he did go to Prague and he did meet with a senior official of the Iraqi intelligence service in Czechoslovakia last April, several months before the attack. Now, what the purpose of that was, what transpired between them, we simply don’t know at this point, but that’s clearly an avenue that we want to pursue.

CAPITAL REPORT

BORGER: Well, let’s get to Mohammad Atta for a minute because you mentioned him as well. You have said in the past that it was, quote, “pretty well confirmed.’

CHENEY: No, I never said that.

BORGER: Okay

CHENEY: I never said that.

BORGER: I think that is….

CHENEY: Absolutely not. What I said was the Czech intelligence service reported after 9/11 that Atta had been in Prague on April 9 of 2001, where he allegedly met with an Iraqi intelligence official. We have never been able to confirm that nor have we been able to knock it down, we just don’t know.

Now I don’t know about you but in my book it would appear that Mr. Cheney is either lying or he is hmmmm….. he’s lying. Those would be the two options. What he denies saying and then reports that he did say are two completely different things. That to me is lying. Now his statements on Countdown are just as diverging as these two. Sorry I don’t have that transcript. The point is that this is the story over and over with this administration. What makes me quite ill is that they are doing this in connection with taking this country to war and because of these actions over 2,100 American soldiers are dead and over 15,250 more are wounded.

Now for my thoughts on this. I have repeatedly seen this administration and this President and Vice President conduct themselves dishonestly. I understand that I am using strong language throughout this writing and in many of my past posts but we are at a point in this nation and its history that we must use strong language and we need leaders who are strong enough to stand up to the neoconservative movement and say enough is enough. We don’t need dishonesty in leading this nation and there is no place in our government for it. Where honesty is lacking or missing there is no integrity. Where there is no integrity there is nothing. This administration has created a void in leadership through dishonesty. Our government and nation are leaderless. Neither people nor soldiers will follow where there is no leadership and there can be no leader or leadership where there is no honesty or integrity. These are simple and true principles.

"We look forward to hearing your vision, so we can more better do our job. That's what I'm telling you." —George W. Bush, Gulfport, Miss., Sept. 20, 2005

Those are the Sergeant Majors Thoughts on That.

A Black Hole

Within the next day or so I am going to post two quotes from Vice President Cheney. These two direct quotes will demonstrate that he has lied in regards to the justification for going to war. It is simply one example. But this post is about another tactic that Mr. Cheney as spokesperson for the Bush administration is using. Mr. Cheney continuously refers to Iraqi insurgency as "terrorist" in Iraq. This tactic is a continuing attempt to make the American people believe that Iraq was somehow responsible for 9/11 and at the center of world terrorism which has never I repeat, never been true. The truth is that the "terrorist" in Iraq first, weren't there until after the United States invaded and created the environment that attracted them and second as pointed out in this excerpt from a Washington Post article constitute the minority of "fighters in Iraq.

"U.S. intelligence agencies say foreign terrorists represent a minority of the insurgent forces; the vast majority are Iraqis. Classified findings by U.S. intelligence agencies are reflected in a study by Anthony H. Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, released yesterday, which estimates that at least 90 percent of the fighters are Iraqi."

I would also point out that it was Mr. Cheney who said that the United States would be greeted as "liberators" when we invaded Iraq. Perhaps that is why 90 percent of the insurgent forces in Iraq are Iraqi and at the summit in Egypt this past weekend which was attended by all of the major Iraqi Political Parties signed and made a declaration asking that the United States pull its troops out of Iraq.

I'm sorry but I am having a little trouble understanding this administrations policies and in particularly Mr. Cheney's idiotic comments. What part of 'they don't f**king want us there' don't you understand Mr. Cheney. Recent polls conducted by British pollsters show that 80% of Iraqis want the United States to leave Iraq (This reflects the same results of an earlier American poll.) and 45% think it is okay to attack American troops. What part of 'they don't f**king want us there' don't you understand Mr. Cheney and Mr. Bush.

The war in Iraq has bled off and continues to bleed off huge amounts of our resources that could and should be directed at anti-terrorist activities that work and to other activities critical to our nation's survival and prosperity. Iraq is a quagmire and a black hole sucking in our nations vital resources.

Those Are The Sergeant Majors Thoughts On That.

It's Not Torture Really It's Not That's The Truth Really

On another issue that I cannot let pass today I must once again comment on Vice President Dick Cheney's role in this administration with regards to torture and the Iraq war. According to a recent CNN report, Colin Powell's former Chief of Staff Colonel Larry Wilkerson has indicated in an interview that it was Mr. Cheney who provided the "philosophical guidance and the flexibility" which helped lead to the use of torture by American forces. I'm shocked! ......................... NOT! I apologize for that outburst but I must occasionally insert some humor into my musings. Let me be a little blunter. As a soldier, citizen and human being Mr. Cheney turns my stomach. I am forever astounded that a man and I use the term very loosely; who asked for and received five draft deferments can have such audacity. I believe, and I think that a majority of the American people believe, that torture is a reprehensible and unproductive act, period. I believe and I think that a majority of the American people believe that anyone or any nation that uses or condones the use of torture is reprehensible. I believe that I can say that based simply on our nations history. I don't know how else to say it. Look at Senator John McCain and what he has gone through for this nation and look at what he and Senators Warner and Graham have done to introduce and support a bill that would insure that this nation does not participate in such acts. These are conservative lawmakers who understand how counterproductive torture is and what its use can do to a nations standing in the world and who more importantly understand the moral repercussions of such acts. Obviously Mr. Cheney does not understand this, or really doesn't care, in which case I think it is even worse and scarier because of the position he holds. I think it is important for the public to know that the Vice President called these three men into his office to attempt to pressure them to withdraw this legislation. Now I want you to imagine this. Picture it in your mind that here is the Vice President of the United States of America calling three Senators into his office to pressure them to withdraw legislation that is intended to prevents "TORTURE". Now some warped minds might even say that that is okay. We are only talking about torturing people who want to hurt our country and who killed hundreds of our citizens. Well to those who would say that I would ask you then what is the difference between torturing those people and torturing a man who bombed and killed hundreds of people in Oklahoma City some years back. Would it have been okay had we tortured Timothy McVey to get him to tell us who helped him? Would it be okay to torture any American citizen in order to get information to convict them of any murder? Would it be okay to torture the British Nanny who killed her American charges to find out why she did it and did someone else help her? When is it justified and where does torture stop. I say the answer is it is never justified. I say it is never justified for multiple reasons. First, it is in my mind immoral. Secondly we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it doesn't work. It doesn't work for the simple reason that a person who is being tortured will tell you anything you want to hear whether it is the truth or not. I know this because I was taught this back when it was taught in the military that it was immoral to do it and against the Geneva Accords. Now back to Mr. Cheney. I must concur with Senator John Kerry when in referring to Mr. Cheney he said that "it's hard to name a government official with less credibility". In this instance Senator Kerry was referring to Iraq but I would say that it applies across the board in Mr. Cheney's case. How can a person in such a position, "who has access to the same information" that I do and much more, condone something that has been consistently proven to not work? I'll tell you how. Because it's the same person who told us that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. Because it is the same person who in 1991 listed all of the reasons the United States should not invade Iraq and then "flip flopped" to convince the American people we should invade Iraq 12 years later after the "sanctions had done there job in disarming Iraq". It is my belief that Mr. Cheney lacks the moral stature to lead anyone, much less the American people.

Those are The Sergeant Majors thoughts on that.

Press - Unbiased - Really

As I perused the news today I noticed and article discussing Bob Woodward the 'old sage' of investigative reporting and of Watergate fame. In the article it was reported that according to Mr. Woodward the Valerie Plame case is little more than gossip and he has referred to the case as being laughable and to Mr. Fitzgerald's behavior as "disgraceful". It was reported that he has made these statement and claims on national television and in interviews with other media organizations. I must say that I find it astonishing that a respected reporter and journalist could and would first violate one of the primary tenets of the profession by discussing the issue in the media without revealing his own direct knowledge of and involvement in the case, secondly keep that information from his editors to the detriment of his paper and its readers and third that he could show such disdain for the law and the public officials charged with enforcing those laws. I believe that this is just another example of how our news media is devolving from an independent investigative and reporting entity to an instrument of corporations, special interest and political parties. How many more mainstream media "journalists" are going to go over to the dark side? Is this not just another symptom of the cancer of corporatism that is consuming our press along with our government? I have to ask myself these questions when faced with what seems to be a never ending stream of mainstream 'liberal' media journalists and supposed journalists continue to involve themselves in borderline if not outright violations of professional ethics and partisan politics directly and indirectly and when male escorts are allowed to receive White House press credentials and receive payments from federal agencies for positive reporting on government programs and policies. I grow extremely skeptical when in the span of a few weeks two cornerstones of the American print media have reporters whose veracity and conduct is questioned in such a way. I personally believe the American people deserve better. It would appear to me that these news organizations have either grown lacks in the oversight of their journalists or the journalists are doing precisely what their editors want and that the editors are yielding to corporate and administration pressures. Either way the results are the same and that is a great disservice to the public. A free and independent and honest press is one of the essentials of a democracy and in fact I do not believe a democracy can survive without it. We, the American public, must demand independent and absolutely unbiased and honest reporting from all media sources public and private. As for Mr. Woodward I can only say that I am sorely disappointed and I liked you better before you were an administration hack Bob.

Those are The Sergeant Majors thoughts on that.

Focused Where?

Today I read an article in the New Orleans Times-Picayune where the paper is rightfully lamenting that Congress and the nation are allowing the plight of the citizens of New Orleans to go unheeded. They point out with sad clarity how the residents of New Orleans, instead of being aided, are being chided for having settled in a place below sea level and the paper further points out that the reason these citizens are in New Orleans in the first place is because that is where our nation has historically wanted and needed them to be. The reason I bring this article up is not to do a commentary on that particular subject but to point out that when one reads this story and simultaneously reflects on my earlier excerpt from Al Gores prophetic speech one becomes acutely aware of the incredible massive failure that is the Bush administration. This nation has been led down the prim rose path to the point of cataclysmic distraction. We are being so focused on the wrong issues that the issues that are most vital to our nation are being grossly neglected. Instead of focusing on apprehending the perpetrators of 9/11 and fighting a unified war on terror internationally we are focused on the war in Iraq. Instead of focusing on the unfinished first war in and reconstruction of Afghanistan we are focused on the war in Iraq. Instead of focusing on and preparing our nation for a potential/likely future terrorist strike by meaningful investments in improving port and border security we are investing in a misguided war in Iraq. Instead of investing in diversifying our economy and developing meaningful strategies for competing in a global economy we are fighting a war in Iraq. Instead of preparing our nation for predicted increases in catastrophic natural disasters we are fighting a misguided war in Iraq.

I believe that Congressman John Murtha's announcement this week that he now believes that Iraq is "A flawed policy wrapped in illusion" is the personification of the majority of Americas view today. I do not believe nor do I think that the American people believe that John Murtha is voicing anything other than the thoughts and concerns of the constituents he represents. He has simply stated reality as viewed by a combat veteran and skilled citizen, soldier, public servant and lastly and leastly politician. I cannot help but feel that this country has come awake to the disservice this President and his neoconservative constituency have done to the nation. I believe America is beginning to focus on the real issues in spite of our President and not because of. It's about America Mr. President. It's not about you.



Those are The Sergeant Majors thoughts on that.

Statesman of the Day

“It’s hard to name a government official with less credibility on Iraq.”

Senator John Kerry on Vice President Dick Cheney

Idiot of the Day

“He is endorsing the policy positions of Michael Moore and the extreme liberal wing of the Democratic Party.”

Scott McClellan, Whitehouse Spokesman on Congressman John Murtha

Who Should Be President

The following is an excerpt from a speech by Al Gore prior to the invasion of Iraq.

"I believe we should focus our efforts first and foremost against those who attacked us on September 11th and who have thus far gotten away with it. The vast majority of those who sponsored, planned and implemented the cold-blooded murder of more than 3,000 Americans are still at large, still neither located nor apprehended, much less punished and neutralized. I do not believe that we should allow ourselves to be distracted from this urgent task simply because it is proving to be more difficult and lengthy than was predicted. Great nations persevere and then prevail. They do not jump from one unfinished task to another. We should remain focused on the war against terrorism. I believe that we are perfectly capable of staying the course in our war against Osama Bin Laden and his terrorist network, while simultaneously taking those steps necessary to build an international coalition to join us in taking on Saddam Hussein in a timely fashion. If you're going after Jesse James, you ought to organize the posse first. Especially if you're in the middle of a gunfight with somebody who's out after you. I am deeply concerned that the course of action that we are presently embarking upon with respect to Iraq has the potential to seriously damage our ability to win the war against terrorism and to weaken our ability to lead the world in this new century. Nevertheless, President Bush is telling us that America's most urgent requirement of the moment - right now - is not to redouble our efforts against Al Qaeda, not to stabilize the nation of Afghanistan after driving its host government from power, even as Al Qaeda members slip back across the border to set up in Afghanistan again; rather, he is telling us that our most urgent task right now is to shift our focus and concentrate on immediately launching a new war against Saddam Hussein. [T]he war against terrorism manifestly requires a multilateral approach. It is impossible to succeed against terrorism unless we have secured the continuing, sustained cooperation of many nations. And here's one of my central points; our ability to secure that kind of multilateral cooperation in the war against terrorism can be severely damaged in the way we go about undertaking unilateral action against Iraq."

"[B]ack in 1991, President George H. W. Bush purposely waited until after the mid-term elections of 1990 in order to push for a vote at the beginning of the new Congress in January of 1991.

President George W. Bush, by contrast, is pushing for a vote in this Congress immediately before the election. That in itself is not inherently wrong, but I believe that puts a burden on the shoulders of President Bush to dispel the doubts many have expressed about the role that politics might be playing in the calculations of some in the administration. I have not raised those doubts, but many have. And because they have been raised, this has become a problem for our country's effort to build a national consensus and an international coalition. Rather than making efforts to dispel these concerns at home and abroad about the role of politics in the timing of his policy, the president is on the campaign trail two and three days a week, often publicly taunting Democrats with the political consequences of a "no" vote. The Republican National Committee is running pre-packaged advertising based on the same theme - all of this apparently in keeping with a political strategy clearly described in a White House aide's misplaced computer disk, which advised Republican operatives that their principal game plan for success in the election a few weeks away was to "focus on the war. " Vice President Cheney, meanwhile, has indignantly described suggestions of any such thing as reprehensible, and then the following week took his discussion of the war to the Rush Limbaugh show. I believe this proposed foreshortening of deliberation in the Congress robs the country of the time it needs for careful analysis of exactly what may lie before us. Such consideration is all the more important because the administration has failed thus far to lay out an assessment of how it thinks the course of a war will run - even while it has given free run to persons both within and close to the administration to suggest at every opportunity that this will be a pretty easy matter. And it may well be, but the administration has not said much of anything to clarify its idea of what would follow regime change or the degree of engagement that it is prepared to accept for the United States in Iraq in the months and years after a regime change has taken place. I believe that this is unfortunate, because in the immediate aftermath of September 11, more than a year ago, we had an enormous reservoir of goodwill and sympathy and shared resolve all over the world. That has been squandered in a year's time and replaced with great anxiety all around the world, not primarily about what the terrorist networks are going to do, but about what we're going to do. My point is not that they are right to feel that way, but that they do feel that way. And that has consequences for us. Squandering all that goodwill and replacing it with anxiety in a year's time is similar to what was done by turning a hundred-billion-dollar surplus into a two-hundred-billion-dollar deficit in a year's time. "“If what America represents to the world is leadership in a commonwealth of equals, then our friends are legion. If what we represent to the world is empire, then it is our enemies who will be legion."

Those are The Man who should be Presidents thoughts on that.

Statesman Of The Day

"I like guys who got five deferments and [have] never been there and send people to war, and then don't like to hear suggestions about what needs to be done."

John (Jack) Murtha
United States Congressman
Colonel, United States Marine Corp Retired
Vietnam Veteran


Note: Cheney did not serve in the military, and Bush was an Air National Guardsman who did not leave the United States during the Vietnam War.


Those are The Sergeant Majors thoughts on that.

Idiot Of The Day

I've decided to start a new daily post that I am calling idiot of the day. Here's my first installment.

"“The President and I cannot prevent certain politicians from losing their memory, or their backbones."

Dick Cheney
Five draft deferments because he had other plans.

Stansfield Turner on Cheney: "Vice President for Torture"

Those are The Sergeant Majors thoughts on that.

To Be A Statesman – Or Not

I want today’s post to be a little different from my usual vociferous protestations. I want to talk about the posture or perhaps a better term would be the attitude of the Bush Whitehouse and administration toward other politicians, statesmen and women, and the American public in general. I have to believe that I am, generally speaking, a typical mainstream American and that any one that reads this blog or follows our government is of average intelligence and a reasonably mature adult. I know, I’m assuming a lot but bear with me here. Having said that I must also say that I don’t believe that the neo-conservative elitist that occupy the Whitehouse believe this premise. Why do I say that you might ask? Well here is why. Yesterday the Whitehouse released a 5,000 word document responding to the critics of the Presidents use of prewar intelligence or lack there of. I give them kudos and a pat on the back for this because I have said all along that they should be responding to criticism in a straight forward honest manner and with relevant, factual information. (Now I am not saying whether anything in the document was either relevant or factual or not but that they produced a paper which they purport to be relevant factual information. You be the judge of its relevance or factualness yourself here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/11/20051115-1.html ) My point comes later when reporters asked why the Whitehouse felt the need for such a lengthy retort. The Whitehouse’s response was a statement which said, "As parents of young children and dog owners know, it takes longer to clean up a mess than to make one." This to me is the most telling example of the attitude of this administration. Their attitude is exactly that exuded by their leader. It is one of a condescending elitist country boy, who’s your daddy, I can whup any of you’re a - - es, swaggering cowboy. For this administration to use such an analogy is to speak down to the American people and those elected officials who speak for them. Do not misunderstand my message here. I am not talking about the irreverent world of the bloggers and pundits. I’m talking about public pronouncements from the Whitehouse press room and speeches by appointed and elected officials. In the blogger pundit world we sling a lot of, you know, stuff. But when it comes to public discourse in the form of a pronouncement by the Whitehouse Communications Office you expect civil discourse and not nany, nany, boo, boo language. I think this statement alone speaks volumes about this administrations cavalier if not disrespectful attitude toward the American people and the world as a whole and it shines a bright light on why we are not the moral example we should be to the world. How can another country respect our actions when we are constantly conducting ourselves as elitist bullies and not as equal partners in our international intercourse? How can the rest of the world respect America when our own government shows such disdain toward its own citizens? I believe it was Theodore Roosevelt who said “There is a homely old adage which runs: Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.” There is great wisdom in that statement Mr. Bush. For your benefit I will put it another way. Conduct yourself as a statesman with incredible power. Please learn to do that sir before it’s too late for this country.

Those are The Sergeant Majors thoughts on that.

How Much Is Too Much Pork

I will start this post out by simply saying that I don’t like taxes. Now it’s not that I don’t want to pay my fair share of taxes but it’s that I don’t like giving my money up to be controlled by, shall we say, certain people who may not be very trustworthy. Right now in Washington we have several examples of those whom I don’t want to give my money up to. I believe that I am one of those people whose philosophy is in the mold of Jefferson and Franklin when it comes to government, politics and taxes. I believe that the governments’ responsibility is to protect the people and that in order to do that they must levy taxes to pay for those protections. The important point of this is that it is the obligation of the government to utilize those funds entrusted to them in the most fiscally responsible manner possible. It is called guarding the public trust. Now what I have read in the last few days about the budget I have to say greatly concerns me. (That’s an under statement if you didn’t catch it.) For the last 5 years I have watched, and protested, as the Republican controlled Congress has spent our nation into the deepest deficit hole in our history. (I know it’s really bad when the Fed Chairman says he’s “concerned”. When he says that he’s “concerned” about the budget deficit, it probably means the sky really will fall.) That’s right the “conservative” Republican Party has spent our country into near bankruptcy. Now the other thing that ‘sticks in my craw’ is that these are the same conservatives that railed against the democratically controlled Congress that, along with the previous President, helped to bring to fruition the biggest budget surplus in the nation’s history. So how did this happen you might ask yourself. Or not. Well let’s just take the infamous “pork”. During the previous administration the average number of pork issues in the budget per year was a few hundred. That number skyrocketed after the Congress came under the control of the Republican Party and a veto pen-less President to over 6,000 this year. (Let’s count the number of vetoes done by this President right here: _____. Okay then, now that we’ve solved that math problem let’s move on.) That’s right, the number six and three zeros after it which translates to way more billions of our dollars than I care to think about that paid for pet political projects to repay political debts and none of which serves to “protect” the citizens of this country. Now this is the same Congress that has voted big fat tax cuts for very rich people. (During that same five year period mine and my wife’s tax cut together bought us a pretty good steak dinner but I hear that the Presidents tax cut and those of a few of his friends could have purchased them new vacation homes near Kennebunkport. Now I’ll trade that steak for the house if he’s interested. I digress.) Let me give you an example of how it works when they are cutting the budget alias swapping pork. They want to make permanent tax cuts for the wealthy and they want to show their fiscal prowess to their constituents and “reduce spending” so they throw out a 50+ billion dollar budget cut bill with the permanent tax cuts in it. Where do all the budget cuts come from? They come from social and educational programs (which are programs that fall into my definition of protecting the citizens.). So they decide they have to show that they really are tightening the belt by cutting pork too. Classic example. There is money in the budget appropriated for two bridges to ‘nowhere’ in Alaska (alias pork) so they take it out of the budget. Now the Gentleman from Alaska threatens to quit if it’s removed. Now they go back and remove just the earmark for the projects but not the money. That’s great for the gentleman from Alaska because now he doesn’t have to quit. The only problem is they only removed the earmark and they left the money in the budget and it’s still going to Alaska. Net budget reduction is zero. So now the State gets the money with no strings. How cool is that? We got happy campers all around. They can say they are cutting taxes which they did (for the very rich). They can say they reduced spending which they didn’t really do but took money from the poor and poor students and they can say they cut pork which they didn’t. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer and the politician gets reelected.

I believe it is time to elect a Congress that is capable of doing the morally correct thing and stemming the flow of blood before our nation loses its children’s future. We cannot afford to put any more politicians in Congress that are going to continue to hold their self interest above the interest of the nation.

Those are The Sergeant Majors thoughts on that.

Apathy Is The Key (Or How To Be A Complete Failure)

At what point does one just scream. I have to tell you that I was aghast at an article in my local newspaper today. What shocked me so was an article on the results of a local ballot initiative to determine if the city would participate and invest in a coal powered power plant project. I am one of those people who say if you want to complain about it then vote about it. Otherwise just shut up. And because I’m one of those people that votes I never shut up and that would be why you are reading this. Well I’m livid over this power plant issue because first of all I didn’t have a vote, I don’t live “in the city” but in the county, and secondly I am very near the city so even though I will not benefit from this project, in that I won’t be getting my electricity from the power plant, I will be living with the consequences of its construction because I’m in its pollution zone. There is a third thing I’m seriously bothered by and I think it bothers me even more than my not being able to vote on the issue. The thing that bothers me the most is the number of people who voted. Now I understand low voter turn out. I really do. Honest. You know how it goes. It’s like this; it’s too cold, it’s rainy, it’s too busy, it’s not at a convenient time, it’s not at a convenient place, the polls aren’t open late enough and on and on and on with every excuse in the book but hey, I can live with all that. No, really here is my heart burn. They……mailed……the……..ballot…….to……you. That’s right and……It……came….. with……a……postage……paid…….envelope. And you……had……three……weeks......to ……mark……the……ballot……and……mail……it……back. And you don’t VOTE WHY?

The total voter turnout for the ballot initiative was 34% and since the measure passed by 60% of the vote that means that about 18% of the registered voters in the city decided that they would all participate in the project. Eighteen percent decided because the other 66% of the voters were too lazy and apathetic to mark the ballot, put it in the envelope, and put it in their mail box! What’s that all about? Please! Tell me what that is all about. You can tell this one really has me going can’t you. That’s because I simply do not understand people who, by not exercising their constitutionally and God given right to vote, would put theirs and their families lives and health and future in the hands of every other George, Dick, and Condi. The sad reality of this is that our local electorate is a microcosm of the general electorate. You understand that because voter turnout is not a whole lot better during a general election we live with the rule of the few who vote. This is precisely why the neo-conservatives are in power in Washington today. They are in power because voters are so completely apathetic and the radical right can get the base mobilized and out to vote on wedge issues and because of that we stand at the threshold of a cultural and economic meltdown. What part of that’s STUPID don’t you understand?

Those are The Sergeant Majors thoughts on that.

The Fumble in the Hole Gang

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You Can Fool Them Some Of The Time

Verbal assaults don’t make it true Mr. Cheney. Once again and true to form the Vice President ‘attacks’ any and all critics of the administration for voicing concern over the administrations actions leading up to the war in Iraq and since. (Note that I use the term ‘attack’ and not the usual ‘lashes out’ that the press so loves. I use this term because Dick Cheney does attack and he does it with zeal and with well practiced and loved skill.) This administration continues to love to spin, twist and corrupt information in an attempt to discredit its critics and continues to accuse them of being unpatriotic or of not supporting the troops. As my mother use to say; Hog Wash! The critics of this administration are correct, and just, in questioning an administration that has a long record of ‘adjusting’ information and intelligence to fit their needs. Knight Ridder does a pretty good job of putting their misleading statements in context at the link provided with this post. This article contains some particularly pointed facts that support the Democratic statements that they did not have access to the same intelligence that the administration did and that the information the administration had was significantly more detailed and provided a much greater degree of balance in intelligence than that provided to the Congress. I can’t help but wonder at what point will truth completely overwhelm these people? Their skill in looking the American people in the camera eye and just plain lying is absolutely amazing. What is also amazing is how slowly the mainstream media continues to be in reporting all of the facts. I find the recent Woodward revelations another interesting example of spin. The focus seems to be on how Bob Woodward’s testimony might affect Scooter Libby’s case and not on the fact that there is yet another “senior administration” official revealing classified information. First Woodward’s testimony has little or no direct bearing on the case against Libby. If anything it shows the expanding scope of an investigation that is revealing some pretty serious national security breaches. Secondly there are more people in this administration telling national secrets than carter has little liver pills and third the real story is that security means nothing to this administration. It certainly and obviously doesn’t seem to mean anything to them when it conflicts with their political agenda. This administration has not changed their political or governing tactics since taking office. It is always attack and distract. Accuse them of being unpatriotic and they won’t notice we are divulging national security secrets. Accuse them of being “opportunist” and they won’t notice we’re lying. Accuse them of undermining our war effort by criticizing our policies and they won’t notice we don’t know what we’re doing and don’t have a plan. Gentlemen I hate to tell you but not all Americans are as naïve as you believe or would like them to be. They’ve been catching on and you can tell by the three links on the right side of my blog.

"It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare."

Mark Twain

Those are The Sergeant Majors thoughts on that.

Of Religion and Politics

I struggle to keep my post on point and I attempt to try and not be overly critical of the Bush administration but as I look around at many of the other blogs I notice that I am certainly not the most critical or profane. That gives me some satisfaction and that is what I will try to continue to do but this administration doesn’t make it easy. I have searched high and low for a single success that they have had and to be painfully honest I can’t find one. Whether we look at domestic or foreign policy it’s always the same. Aggression seems to be their watch word and swagger and vanity their code. There is something to be said for having the courage and humility to admit when you are wrong or have made a misstep. This President does not possess either of those qualities and that is reflected in his and his staffs and administrations words and deeds and policies. It has become obvious that anytime that they are simply questioned or called on an issue in any way their auto response is attack and go for the jugular. They appear to not have any other response and this has made the landscape of this administration a moral desert and unfortunately the neo-conservative minority controlling the Republican Party has done the same thing to their Party. It seems to me that they have lost the meaning and intent of their professed Christian Faith in their quest for absolute political power. You might ask what would make me come to such a conclusion. Well there are the Ten Commandments to start with and then there are their actions in relation to those Commandments. Please understand that I use the Ten Commandments here only because it is the predominant faith espoused within the neo-conservative movement and this administration. There are three Commandments that immediately come to mind when I think about the Bush administration and the neo-conservative movement in general. There is “Thou shalt not kill”, “Thou shalt not steal”, and lastly “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour”. Now there are their actions in relation to these Commandments. On the “Thou shalt not kill” issue there is the pro death penalty, torture to the point of death, and the war in Iraq resulting in thousands of American deaths and tens of thousands of Iraqi civilian deaths. Then on the “Thou shalt not steal” issue there is Tom Delay, and Bill Frist, and Jack Abramof, and, okay the list is too long and includes Pat Roberts and his charities. Then last but not least there is “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour” issue where we have carte blanche on anything justifying war in Iraq, and Scooter, and Karl, and that list goes on and on and on too doesn’t it. I was raised a Southern Baptist so I have some understanding of my Christian Faith and I quite frankly don’t find that these folks practice what they preach. There are things in the Christian Faith that speak to humility, honesty, honor, truth, and charity. There are things in the Christian faith that speak to forgiveness and helping thy neighbor. There is nothing that I’ve ever found that professes the taking of human life for any reason or for torturing anyone in any manner. The ends do not justify the means. At what point will the zealots within this administration start living by their professed faith and code.

Those are The Sergeant Majors thoughts on that.

While You Were Sleeping (Or What About China)

Since 9/11 this nation and the Bush administration have been nearly totally focused on the Middle East. One can understand this focus in light of such a horrendous and vicious terrorist attack. Since, and in response to that event we have gone to war in Afghanistan with some success but still not catching the actual culprit responsible for 9/11. We have also gone to war in Iraq without a true coalition and under suspect circumstances and that has turned into a quagmire that our nation’s leader apparently has no clue on how to extract us from. The results of this chaos is that we as a nation and our leaders are so totally focused on the Middle East and have become so isolated from our traditional allies that we no longer have the welfare of our nation nor our roll on the world stage in focus. What I mean by this is that we may not want to believe it but there is a threat out there that is potentially greater than any terrorist threat. Has anyone noticed that China is about as near to a superpower in technological, military, and economic strength as you can get while we have been distracted and marking time.

The United States military has talked of being able to conduct a multi front war for years. This administration has also touted how they have increased military spending and how our military is capable of confronting all threats to our nation on multiple fronts. Well it seems to me that just recently when the chips were down and we were fighting a one front war and experiencing a national natural disaster we didn’t have either the planning or the military strength to deal with it.

I don’t want to seem like Chicken Little and I know the sky is not falling but I also know that it is obvious that we are not prepared. In case our leadership has forgotten the Peoples Republic of China is a communist regime. They are also a nuclear power and have the world’s largest standing army. They are also slicing off bigger and bigger chunks of the world economy and consuming more and more of the world’s oil reserves. What this means to me is that they are at best a serious economic threat that is not being addressed effectively and at worst they are a serious economic and military threat that is not being effectively addressed.

The United States cannot continue to be distracted by misguided foreign and domestic policies. Our nation needs strong Foreign Affairs and Defense Policies along with strong Domestic, Monetary, and Trade policies that take into consideration the true threats to this nation and the other ‘free’ nations of the world. Yes we must focus on and be concerned with terrorism but we must also have a strong foreign affairs policy that is effective in bringing our allies, traditional and new, on board with cohesive defense, monetary and trade policies. The United States can no longer bully itself around the world as this administration would have us do. We are a few 400 million people in a 6 billion people world. If you look at those numbers for purposes of defense or trade they are stacked against us if we intend to be the bully on the block. They are also stacked in our favor if we are trying to profit from being the economic growth catalyst for the world. The key to a truly strong defense of this nation against terrorism and all other threats is not the aggressive invasion of countries in an attempt to install Jeffersonian Democracy but a strong system of allies working in concert sharing intelligence information and law enforcement efforts while forming and improving trade and economic alliances around the world. One would think that a true fiscally conservative administration would understand this concept. Too bad that the one currently in office to quote my children, “don’t have a clue”.

Those are The Sergeant Majors thoughts on that.